Fresh Water: New Perspectives on Water in Australia.

Fresh Water: New Perspectives on Water in Australia. Edited by Emily Potter, Alison Mackinnon, Stephen McKenzie and Jennifer McKay. Melbourne University Publishing, August 2007, 285 pp. ISBN: 978-0-522-85424-4

Fresh Water provides an eclectic mix of essays about water in Australia under an overarching theme of water justice. The editors were brought together by the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies at the University of South Australia. This edited publication brings together authors from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds including environmental scientists, social scientists, cultural geographers, academics, historians, curators, educators, and indigenous and non-indigenous artists. It is the diversity of authors, each giving their own perspectives, that makes it a unique collection of writing which explores the relationship between humans and water.

Fresh Water was born at a gathering of researchers on the issues facing Australia's most iconic river, the Murray. Participants of this meeting were eager to develop interdisciplinary responses to eco-social problems facing Australia. One of the outcomes was a workshop held in Adelaide in 2005 which sought to bring together a variety of disciplines and expertise to explore the issue of "water justice" which is described as "the possibility of treating water justly and allocating this resource in a fair and equitable manner" (p. 3). Fresh Water is the product of this workshop.

The eighteen essays are written in the context of contemporary issues and concerns about water being played out in the media such as: the "drying out" of Australia, record low reservoirs, uncertainty under climate change and opinions on the latest government response to the issue. Personally, the chapters that covered social aspects and how they relate to challenges in water management were of most interest to me. Perhaps it is my background and experience in this field but whilst there was nothing in these pages that I had not heard before there is comparatively little published material on the social side of water issues given the amount of published material on water issues generally.

Jennifer McKay provides useful commentary on the history of legislation around water allocation in Australia including the principles of environmentally sustainable development (ESD) that became part of the 1990 Commonwealth (COAG) reforms. McKay argues for "reconsideration of water management and ESD in terms of moral wrongs" (p. 100) which would require "many conversations to establish a water ethic shared by all water stakeholders" (p. 100). The strength of McKay's case is not left there however, she goes on to explore the solution and proposes six key elements by which to create a new system of rules to progress the implementation of ESD in Australian water management.

Jay Arthur and Alison Mackinnon, authors of Chapter 5 and 6 respectively, discuss our (non-Indigenous Australians) inability to learn from our mistakes when it comes to managing water and that it has led to the environmental problems we face today. Arthur, curator of the National Archives Exhibition Just Add Water, uses Australia's history of settlement and water management to paint a picture of how we got here and how "our" attitudes to water have not changed significantly since settlement. This perspective was extremely interesting and laid the foundation for many of the consequent chapters which discussed how non-indigenous Australia's perceive water.

Jessica Weir's chapter on The traditional owner experience along the Murray River provides a powerful case on exactly what Indigenous Australians are losing--the opportunity to continue with traditional ownership and culture. Weir argues: "The alienation of the next generation from the experience of the life of the river country makes the elders feel that their cultural practice is endangered" (p. 53). It leaves the reader to ponder, if non-Indigenous Australian's were as connected to their natural environment, would the case for sustainability and environmental protection be such a hard one to make? Would we not be moving towards restoring our ecosystems much faster as the loss would be so quickly evident and need not be proven by science? A strong sense is provided by many of the authors writing on indigenous involvement in water management decisions that still today there is a lack of consideration for Indigenous knowledge by both government and industry in the management of water. This not only leads to environmental loss but also cultural loss for Aboriginal communities which shows we have more to lose if their involvement in water management decisions continues to be limited.

Case studies are used by some authors to illustrate their point. Anna Hurlimann's chapter on water recycling in South Australia is well constructed and covers the barriers to water recycling in the context of sustainable development. I was impressed to see the discussion of the problems that may arise with water recycling projects (for example, excessive water consumption habits in the community) and a discussion on the economic feasibility of water recycling projects.

Cheney, Nheu and Vecellio discuss a proposal to remove weirs for the purpose of improving environmental flows in the Hawkesbury Nepean River. The authors provide a sound argument that the community and stakeholders want more than information, rather they want involvement in decision making processes. This leads the authors to the conclusion that what is needed is a "cooperative approach to problem-solving and actions taken" (p. 199). Whilst this is not a new concept, the case study used provides excellent insight into stakeholder perspectives and why community consultation and involvement is an important part of water management. Such case studies should be promoted so that the value of real community engagement continues to become widely known and documented.

Overall, while there are linkages and references made between the authors and chapters, the essays are distinctively different in their topic focus or case studies described and could easily stand alone. This provides the reader with the opportunity to consider the topics and issues raised by each author in isolation or in contrast to what other authors have explored. This is an excellent collection of diverse perspectives, and I would recommend Fresh Water to anyone interested the eco-social aspects of water management.

Corinne Cheeseman

Australian Water Association